Whether through grants, fellowships, residencies or commissions, international mobility and financing opportunities add up to over one thousand spaces where cultural workers can experiment, produce and exhibit their work to a global audience while expanding their network of peers. However, when analysing the origin of those selected, there is evidence of a much lower participation from the Global South. 

This inequality arises from existing communication and application mechanisms, which pose awareness and access barriers for most Global-South-based cultural practitioners. Most existing alternatives promoting international mobility opportunities are biassed towards native English speakers. They are list-based and require a lot of repetitive manual information filtering to find opportunities that fit their profile. This translates into a tedious and cumbersome user experience. 

Suitable for smartphones and computers, RIMA will be a multilingual platform for artists to find, prepare and submit an application for funding or mobility through a friendly, comprehensible and straightforward experience. This will help to make the process less confusing and increase the number of applications, which shall translate into increased diversity of participation. 

By building a platform to improve access to funding, mobility, mid-career education, and shared experiences, we would actively be helping “level the playing field” for creatives worldwide.